SINGAPORE: A pregnant administrative staff member at a small-medium enterprise (SME) recently took to Reddit to express her frustrations about the lack of career progression and benefits in her job.
“I’m anxious and stressed out on whether to continue with this work as there is no job progression, no benefits, just me absorbing all of my boss’s work and completing them as and when he asks,” she wrote.
“However, I need a fixed income to contribute to my CPF as I’m applying for houses right now.”
Moreover, she elaborated that as the only admin staff, apart from one colleague nearing retirement, her boss has delegated all responsibilities to her.
“I’ve spoken to my boss that I’ve been feeling overwhelmed with my job tasks to which he tells me that if it’s not important, it can wait unless ‘if people are rushing me then I’ll rush you.’”
However, despite voicing her concerns to her boss, she received little relief and, in fact, saw her workload increase. Her boss even tasked her with recruiting interns and a new full-time employee.
“So far, <5 has applied. It doesn’t help that he requests the said additional full timer to take on so many different roles with a pay < 2.5k. For the interns, none have applied.”
Furthermore, she shared her worries about her plans post-maternity leave. Initially, she had set her sights on switching to part-time work, hoping for a better work-life balance. However, she now questions whether this option is viable given her current situation.
In addition, her boss has informed her that working from home is not feasible for their operations.
Turning to others for advice, she asked, “Do I find another job after ML or stay?”
“Career progression can wait until your situation is stable.”
Several netizens offered their advice in the comments section, suggesting that the woman should carefully weigh her options before making any decisions.
Many felt that she should take her maternity leave first and then reassess her situation afterward.
One netizen said that her boss “doesn’t seem too bad” as he already told her that it’s okay to push non-urgent things back.
He added, “Look, when you have a big tummy and when you need the regular CPF contribution for housing application, you cannot be so picky to want career progression and good benefits (other than ML). Career progression can wait until your situation is stable.”
Another netizen advised her to focus primarily on getting enough rest and taking care of her health during this time. She emphasized that her well-being should be her top priority, especially given the physical and emotional demands of pregnancy.
She added that if she feels overwhelmed by her workload, she should communicate this to her boss clearly. She could ask her boss to either reassign some of her tasks to other colleagues or to reduce the overall intensity of her workload.
As for recruiting interns and finding a new full-time employee, they stressed that this was not her responsibility and she should delegate it to the appropriate personnel.
They emphasized that she shouldn’t have to take on extra responsibilities, especially given her current situation.
One netizen said, “Finding a replacement should be your boss’s job and not yours. Highlight that and if it fails, just find a cover and go on your maternity leave and let your salary be covered by the company. After that, return to work or if it gets too tough, find another job. You don’t owe the company or the boss a living.”
Read also: Intern claims SME asked them to work despite being on MC
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